1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus for mounting electrically powered components to the upper surface of an instrument panel in an automotive vehicle.
2. Background Art
It is common practice in the automotive industry to supply vehicles for use by commercial businesses, emergency response agencies, and/or law enforcement agencies by modifying passenger vehicles that are produced for more general, non-commercial use. Necessary modifications for such specialty users often include installing electrically powered components in the passenger compartment, particularly on the upper portion of the dashboard to allow convenient access by the driver and/or other vehicle occupant(s). For example, a taxi company may require its cabs to be equipped with a fare meter, a delivery company may require its trucks or vans to be equipped with a two-way radio, GPS unit, and/or inventory tracking device, and a police department or emergency services organization may require any number of pieces of equipment to be mounted on the dashboard, such as a speed detection system (radar/lidar), a two-way radio, a video camera/recorder, a GPS system, and/or emergency lights.
Besides the fact that a dashboard mounting for these types of components provides easy access by the driver and/or passenger seat occupant, some such components (radar/lidar, video camera, for example) must be mounted above the dashboard to provide a view of the area ahead of the vehicle.
The current industry practice for this type of vehicle modification often requires that the vehicle's interior trim and/or instrument panel be removed or disassembled in order to install the electrical components and related wiring. The electrical equipment and related mounting brackets, which may sometimes be relatively heavy, are usually attached directly to the upper surface of the instrument panel. The exposed surfaces of instrument panels used in passenger vehicles (referred to in the industry as the Class-A surface) are typically formed of a relatively thin, plastic material since it is not intended to support significant weight. Self-tapping screws are commonly used to secure components to the IP housing, with the result that the screws can strip out of their holes and/or lose clamping load after a short period of use in the vehicle. Also, drilling holes into the instrument panel from the outside may result in debris falling into the internal instrument panel which may damage other components in the panel.
Particularly in the case of law enforcement or emergency vehicles, it may be desirable to mount several components in the instrument panel top area, such as radios, radar antennas units, emergency lights, and the like.